Category: Ask Mrs Mopp…

People think it’s hilarious when I say I have to clean up for the cleaners. So should you clean up for your cleaner? The answer to this has to be ‘No’! But if the question was “Should you tidy up for your cleaner,” then the answer is most definitely yes.

Essentially, I believe you pay a cleaner to clean and not to tidy up. You will get a lot more for your money if your cleaner can get in and actually clean, rather than putting toys away or picking up clothes from the floor.

What Does A Cleaner Need To Clean?

When it comes to hiring a cleaner, some cleaning providers will supply all the cleaning products and cleaning materials, and some will require the to client provide everything themselves – there is normally a difference in costs associated with each option.

If you are going with a lower tariff, within . cleaning business, or if you are employing a sole trader or cleaning agency, it will be usual for the client to provide all the cleaning materials and products, in order for the business to keep their labour and charge rate lower.

So, if you supply the products, what will your cleaner need to do a professional job?

Here’s a handy guide you can print or pin:

What do you think of our list? Is there anything you would like to add?

What to look for when hiring a cleaner

Have you done your homework?

Your house is probably your biggest asset. I’m guessing that you worked hard to get a mortgage, to furnish and decorate each room and that you take great pride in the place you call home.

So, when thinking about hiring a house cleaning service, are you putting the same thought into it as you did into say, decorating your home or arranging your home security?

Have you dug into the background of the house cleaning service you are thinking of hiring? Did get quotes from more than one cleaning provider? Or are you only interested in who clean your home the cheapest?

You wouldn’t let just anyone into your home, would you? No of course you wouldn’t, that’s why your here

3 things a cleaning provider should have as standard

There are millions and squillions of house cleaning services out there. One for every budget and every home. How do you start to choose between them? What questions should you be asking the potential house cleaning service to know they are the real deal? Would does a good house cleaning service look like?

1. A Good House Cleaning Service Is Insured

You would think this would go without saying, but I can’t tell you how many homes I’ve been to when the client will tell me a nightmare story about a previous uninsured cleaner and the damage done to their property (and how they are usually left out of pocket)

All house cleaning services, in the UK, should have public liability insurance as standard and they should be happy to show you their certificate of insurance whenever you ask to see it.

Side note: It is worth checking that the house cleaning service you use is covered for heat if you want them to use your steam mop or iron, for example, or that they are covered for heights if you want them to clean a high ledge.

If the house cleaning service employs people to do cleaning work, it should also hold employers liability insurance to protect their staff, your property and their business.

Questions to ask the house cleaning service about insurance

What type of insurance do you have for your cleaning business? To what level of cover?

What is your business covered to do? What can you not do within a home (restrictions such as heat, height, chemicals may apply)

What would happen if a cleaner broke or damaged an item?

What would happen if the cleaner lost my house key?

How many insurance claims have you had in the time you have been trading?

If the house cleaning service cannot produce their insurance details, or always have an excuse when you ask for them, run. Run far away from them!

At Mrs Mopp, we have extra insurances than just the standard requirement, like “key-lock insurance” for example, meaning in the rare event of a key being lost or damaged, we would replace our clients locks and issue them with new keys for their peace of mind. Our business was built around how we would feel about someone being in our home, and what would make us feel safer when giving out our house keys – any house cleaning service worth their salt would be happy to share their certificate of insurance with you and to run through their policies on safety and security for your home to put your mind at ease.

Please take the time to ensure you are giving your house keys to a cleaning provider who is properly insured to clean private homes and double check that they are insured for all cleaning eventualities that are important to you!

2. A Good House Cleaning Service Will Have References and Testimonials

Unless you are the very first client of a new house cleaning service, chances are there will be someone out there that has used their cleaning services before.

When speaking with the potential cleaning provider, on the telephone or via email, prior to a home quotation, ask the cleaning provider if they have any references they can bring to the quote to show you?

As well as written references, also ask the cleaning provider if they can provide telephone references where you can speak to an actual real-life client of theirs. (If you are new to having a cleaner and are quite nervous about it, this is a great idea!)

Another port of call when checking out a house cleaning service is to take a look on the ol’ interweb and see what the world says about the service.

One word of slight warning, be careful of Facebook ratings or quotes on websites that say “Mrs A” with no other details, as many people, especially when in buisness start-up mode and looking for clients, will have their friends and family go on to give them a 5* rating as a means to boost to their page.

Even if there is a compalint on the cleaning providers page take a look to see how they dealt with it – did they deal with it or ignore the bad review? How a person/business acts in times of stress or wrong doing in normally a better indicator of integrity than those who only present a positive and 100% perfect image by deleting or ignoring problems.

As in life, the sign of a solid service or indeed person, is how they handle events when the chips are down and something has gone wrong – did the cleaning service stick to their word and make good? Was there a happy resolution?

A House Cleaning Service Should Be A Legit Business

I am guessing you work very hard to pay for your home and for all the lovely things you have inside of it. I am guessing your home is probably your biggest outlay financially, and I am also guessing that you take the protection of it quite seriously?

The reason I ask you this is because often, so many people give so little thought to whom they hire to clean their homes.

People looking for the cheapest option when it comes to cleaning work, will 9/10 be disappointed.

When on quotes, we often hear from people who hired their friend Jenny’s sisters, best friends uncle, who knew someone who cleans ,in the pub he drinks in and they said they’ll do it cash-in-the-hand and they promised they could clean their whole 5-bed house in 2 hours?!

These people end up very frustrated with their ‘house cleaning service’ (meant in the loosest way).

Personally, I don’t understand that mentality of trying to find “cheap cleaners”. Why oh why, would you just have any random person in your home, that you worked so hard for, who 1. Won’t meet any of the above-mentioned requirements, and 2. IS NOT A RESPECTABLE BUSINESS?

As a homeowner you should know that the house cleaning service you are thinking of hiring is legit – you need to know that they are insured, you need to know how they vet their staff, you need to know how they train their staff, you need to know what their complaints policy is, you need to know how they store your keys, you need to know how they record your personal information, you need to know what they would do if they lost your house key. You need to know all these things.

Homeowners should want a professional cleaning service, with procedures and structures in place, and be happy to pay the extra £2 or £3 an hour to know their home is in safe hands, with trained cleaning professionals

If you only have a certain budget for cleaning, shop around and find the right cleaning provider for you, as there will be cleaning business out there to suit your cleaning needs and your budget – yes insured, yes with references, and yes as a legit tax paying, HMRC abiding business!

For example, a house cleaning service operating from home, with all the good things we have spoken about here, should have a much lower charge rate than a cleaning business that has premises and employees for example

The point is this – don’t settle for any old cleaner just because it’s cheap, or it’s your best friends, monkeys uncles cousin will do it cash-in-the-hand. Shop around, get a few quotes, check out a few websites…

You spent months trying to find your perfect home, so it’s only right you should spend some time thinking about who you will trust to look after it.

Can I Ask My Cleaner To Chop Wood?

What will a cleaner do in my home? What can I ask them to do? And What Won’t A Cleaner Do?

The wonderful Mary-Mary (she’s so good we named her twice!) working hard for Mrs Mopp 🙂

Cleaning businesses come in many shapes and sizes. There are sole traders who work alone, there are cleaning businesses who employ staff members, cleaning agencies who use self-employed cleaners, and cleaning franchises, that are part of a larger National or International cleaning brand/company.

There is a cleaning service out there for everybody and every home, and one that will meet your cleaning requirements, household needs, and budget.

What does a cleaner do?

Generally, cleaners will all undertake the following cleaning tasks and duties during a domestic clean:

High and low-level dusting

Cleaning of bathrooms

Cleaning of kitchen

Vacuuming

Mopping

Dusting and polishing of shelves, picture frames, units etc.

Some cleaners will also offer the following:

Change bedding

Empty all internal bins, including main kitchen waste

Ironing

Washing of dishes/loading of dishwashers

What other things is it okay to ask a cleaner to do?

This will depend on the type of cleaning service you use and the relationship you hold with them. Generally, it is okay and within limits, to ask the following:

Polishing silver or brass

Cleaning of internal windows

Washing and special care cleaning of ornaments

To fold washing and put it away

Help you de-clutter

Tidy up an area

Please note that you may be charged for additional time for extra tasks, or you may have to forfeit areas of your regular cleaning schedule if you are adding extra tasks to the list for your cleaner to do (remember they are only human!)

Some cleaners don’t wash up or iron, as standard, or even if asked, as it is not listed in their service list. It is always best to enquire, via telephone or email, as to what the cleaning service does offer, and what extras they would be willing to do. Before you invite a cleaner to your home to quote, make sure your needs will be met and your time not wasted

Below is an example of a cleaning franchise who does not iron or wash dishes, and makes it clear to clients.

A screenshot from the website of world’s largest cleaning franchise, Molly Maid, showing what they do not clean

Things Cleaners Don’t and Won’t Do (and shouldn’t be doing)

Walk your dog *

Look after your children *

Do your supermarket shopping *

Chop wood for your fire place * (Really!)

Sew holes or darn socks *

Clean your whole home or a large area on their hands and knees *

Unblock your toilet *

Be naked or in something skimpy * (that’s a whole other service, my friends!

* = Tasks that a member of my cleaning team, or I, have been asked to do by a client! Yes really. (And yes our Moppettes chopped up the logs that day, as they were out of mobile reception to call the office, and didn’t want to let the new client down!)

As A General Rule, Moppettes Don’t Chop Wood 😉

Next Steps

The first thing to do is look online and search different domestic cleaning services in your local area – take a look at their website, their Facebook, their Twitter and various other social platforms for starters, to get a ‘feel’ for them.

Do they look and sound like a person/business/franchise you could use?

Do they have a clear brand and service offering?

Do they cater for all the cleaning wants and needs you may have?

Do they testimonials and client interaction?

When getting to quoting stage, ask specifically if the cleaner will do X or Y as cleaning tasks, and be open and honest about your expectations

When hiring a domestic cleaner, what service levels should you expect in your home?

As we discussed last week, having a maid service is no longer just for the rich elite, it is now so common to hire a cleaning service that 1 in 3 homes in the UK now employs one!

As the more “ordinary” folk move to hiring help within their homes, some of them may have never had dealt with a cleaner before and perhaps come from a background that has never had cleaners or hired help in their homes – this post is to guide newbie homeowners employing a cleaner on a few things to expect.

A Cleaner Will Not Redecorate Your Home

Excuse the dramatics but we wanted to make a point. Some clients expect their house will be transformed almost instantly upon having a cleaner and while that is true to a point, (as yes your home should look, feel and smell cleaner when you come home after each and every clean) it may take several cleans to get your home to the desired and workable standard of the cleaner and of the cleaning service provider you have hired.

It may take a cleaner 2/3 cleans to “bed-in” to a new client’s home and to know the flow of the rooms and work out the most efficient way of achieving all tasks in the set time frame. It will take several cleans to get on top of all paintwork and internal windows, for example, especially if they have not been regularly maintained beforehand. It may take several treatments to cut through all limescale on a shower screen or on taps if the build up is heavy etc.

A cleaner is only human and can only achieve so much in a 2, 3, 4-hour time span. From experience, our domestic Moppettes are professionally trained in cleaning techniques for efficiency combined with high-standard cleaning, and yes they can clean better and faster than the average Jo, but there is a limit to how many bathrooms can be cleaned, how many bed changes can be done or how many flights of stairs vacuumed in a two hour time slot – this is true of all cleaners

How To Overcome This?

The very best thing you can do is be very clear of your cleaning wants and your cleaning needs when you have someone come to your home to quote. The cleaner and the cleaning company want to serve you well and would much rather deliver great cleaning work in 2 hours than provide lots of bits of shoddy, rushed work throughout the home. If you can only afford to budget for 2 hours a week of cleaning then be realistic on what the most important tasks are to you to be done.

If you can afford it, have a deep/spring clean before your regular cleaning service starts – some franchises will insist on this – A deep clean will clean all paint work, internal windows, and there will be a deep clean in the living areas, kitchen and bathrooms etc. The idea of having a deep clean prior to your regular service is that it will make the home easier to maintain moving forward.

A Cleaner Cleans But Does Not Tidy Up!

Okay, not strictly true because if we needed to vacuum a floor and it was littered with a weeks worth of clothes, we would, of course, pick up said clothes and fold them neatly… then we could get on with our job of cleaning.

Us picking up your clothes, picking up toys, putting away books and magazines etc is a waste of your actual cleaning time – If we only have 3 hours to do a top to bottom clean on a home and your cleaner spends 30 mins picking up and putting away items, something else may have to be missed, or it will be done in a rush (and probably poorly), as your cleaner will run out of time before they have to move to their next job.

You don’t want a half complete clean, the cleaning business owner does not want to give you an incomplete clean and the cleaner does not want to feel like they are failing as they become so overwhelmed with the tasks to be done Vs time allowed.

How To Overcome This?

The night before your scheduled clean please tidy-up for your cleaner – Get the whole household involved and explain to one and all that floors should be clear and items that should be somewhere should be put there – Your cleaner will love you for it and you will get more bang for your buck in cleaning time. Hurrah all round!

Your Cleaner Won’t Last Forever

Nothing lasts forever we all know this but allow me to explain…

There are two types of cleaner. The first type of cleaner is the dream cleaner for you to hire in your home; they are the type of cleaner that instinctively knows what is to be cleaned, they love to clean and to get quality results, and they would never, ever dream of assigning their name to bad work. Career cleaners live to clean, it is their vocation. This type of cleaner does exist, I promise, but they are rare (in eight years of running Mrs Mopp I have employed several career cleaners and many are still with me, as a good cleaner is worth their weight in gold!)

The second type of cleaner is a person that sees cleaning hours as convenient for their own life and they see it as a job they can do until they find something else. (‘Something better’, is the phrase I will hear most often, frustratingly, cleaning is not a respected job role in this country, and this does not help with retention) These types of cleaners are the majority in the UK. Harsh but true. This is not to say ‘jobbing cleaners’ can’t be good cleaners, not at all, I’ve employed many an excellent cleaner that has gone on to do other things as their circumstances have changed, the point is that these cleaners are not career cleaners, they do not live for the finish and sparkle in the same way as cleaning type number one does and no matter what pay rates, incentive schemes, employee benefits etc that a cleaning business may offer, some people never intend on staying in a role with a long term view (please believe me I’ve tried to change this view and still try daily) and so it goes, your cleaner will not last forever.

Another reason cleaners don’t last forever is that the work is very physically demanding and some people join the profession thinking they can do it (how hard can cleaning be right?) and then they discover after a week or two that it’s really not for them and they can’t stay with the pace

Cleaning businesses HATE changing cleaning staff just as much as a client hates having to have a new cleaner, but please know that sometimes they can’t help it as it may beyond their control, BUT, they will be doing everything they can behind the scenes to correct it, I guarantee it, no cleaning business owner likes disgruntled calls or emails. Not a single one.

How To Overcome This?

When looking for a cleaning business ask about how they do their recruitment, ask what capacity they employ their cleaners – some cleaning business are actually agencies and all their staff are self-employed and none of the cleaners are known to each other – ask how they keep and motivate their staff

Ask yourself would you prefer a single cleaner or are you happy for a team of two to come to your home? Many companies use two cleaners for heath and safety reasons (moving furniture, falling etc) and this can help with service disruption as there is always one known cleaner.

If you really want one person and one person only, you either have to accept, there may be times that particular individual is sick or perhaps on holiday and you would have to go without a clean, or you will have a cover cleaner so as not to disrupt your cleaning service – or if you employ a sole trader cleaner, if they are sick or on holiday you will not have a clean (nor the option of cover).

The main point to take away from the post is this: be realistic with timeframes available, and with your cleaning wants and your cleaning needs. Stay open in communication with the cleaner, supervisor and/or business owner/manager to work together to find your perfect cleaning service.

It can be done, you can have a harmonious relationship with your cleaning provider, with a perfectly running cleaning schedule, I promise. It just won’t happen all in one clean.

Do you have anything to add to this post? Please post in the comments and please share this post with anyone you think may find it useful

De-clutter Your Home In 2015

It’s the beginning of a brand new year and everyone is full of resolutions and hope for the upcoming 12 months. As well as promising to lose weight or join a gym, I’d like you to promise one thing to your home for the next year…To de-clutter it. All of it.

We all lead crazy busy lives and lives that are filled with convenience and “stuff”. Lots of stuff. We are a nation of work hard, spend hard people and our houses are full to busting point of things we do not wear or use.

Couple of interesting facts for y’all – Did you know that the average UK adult has over £1,000 worth of stuff/clutter that they could sell or donate just lying around their home? Also, did you know that many psychologists believe having an overcrowded and cluttered house can lead to depression, anxiety and even weight gain? Things that make you go hmm right?

Now I understand that you may not want to throw away that stripy bat-winged jumper that you looked good in when you were 17, just in case, one day, it should make a miraculous return to the catwalks of the world. However, sometimes we just have to face facts and be hard on ourselves and admit that we would never (ever) wear that jumper again anyway, even if the great Anna Wintour herself declared it chic. The thing is, the memories you have of being a footloose and fancy free bat-winged-jumper-wearing-individual are not trapped in a jumper and they won’t erase if we got rid of the jumper.

This is were de-cluttering becomes hard, we have to separate the emotions from all the stuff…

5 Tips To Make de-Cluttering Easier

1. Make a plan. Tackle your house room by room.

Don’t try and do your house in a day or in one weekend as, unless you live in a tiny house, you won’t manage it and that will just make you feel fed up and discouraged to carry on. Instead of throwing yourself aimlessly at your home, be strategic and make a plan of what you will do and on what days. You have a year to get everything straight so don’t panic. Just think about it for a second – it took yeeeeaaaaars to collect all the stuff you have right? It will take a while to sort out and get rid of. Rome was not built in a day…

2. Start with the “lived in” areas first

Start in your lounge, for example, and then work through your home from the most used rooms to the least. As you start to de-clutter the most used spaces of your home you should start to begin to feel and see the benefits of less clutter almost immediately. Your room will look bigger and brighter AND it will now take less time to tidy and keep clean, hurrah!

3. Get a 3 box system going in your home

Have 3 boxes or large bags with you when you de-clutter each room to keep you focused and working to a system. The boxes are i) Skip/Recycle ii) Keep/Relocate iii) Charity/Sell. As you go around the room place objects into one of the three boxes. Once done, the room will be ready to be cleaned and the ‘kept’ items put back. If you have the space in a utility or garage, try to keep a regular 2 box system for skip/recycle items and for charity items and make sure everyone in your home knows about and uses them.

4. Find a charity close to your heart

To give is always better than to receive and if it is possible for you to do so, please think about having a regular charity box in your home. A charity that means something to you will give you motivation to keep the de-cluttering effort going. If you have good quality items or clothing, find a a charity that moves you and one you that you would love to help and be involved in. Not everyone has time to volunteer or has the money to set up a charity monthly direct debit, so donating your un-wanted items is the next best thing and very much appreciated by the charities. Donating to your chosen charity is a win-win for everyone involved – Your home gets de-cluttered, the charity makes money for their cause and someone goes home happy with a new stripy bat-winged jumper. Yay!

The Mrs Mopp charity of choice for 2015 for clothes, household items and furniture is the Shropshire Community Project – If you live in the local area, please click the link after you’ve finished reading this post (Obvs), to learn more about them and the very wonderful work they do in our County. Thank you.

5. Hold a Clothes Swapping Party

Get all your chums to sort out their wardrobes, shoes and accessories, that they no longer wear and arrange a get together to swap with each other whilst holding your own private fashion show. A good giggle, you get to see your friends in one space and everyone goes home with something new and exciting to wear without even spending a penny!

Do you have any tips for de-cluttering and learning how to let go of things you no longer need or use? Please share them below if you do, we would love to hear them.

Cleaning Tips w/c 10.11.14

Hello lovely people of the Internet, did you see our visual cleaning tips last week on Facebook? You didn’t? Oh no…

Well the Mama Mopp thought it would be a good idea that we should put them on our website too, just to show visitors, a bit of what your missing out on over on Facebook, you know, er… should you.. err… wanna come over there and like us? 😉

We get that not everyone in the world has a Facebook (really?) so, if you prefer to see written tips, in 140 characters or less, we can do that for you too, over on Twitter at 11am, Monday through Friday. (GMT) If you fancy just a smattering of tips and would rather know what goes on behind the scenes of Mopp Towers, you can add us on Instagram for that.

Social bunch, us Moppettes you know.

Take a look at the weeks round up of the top 5 cleaning tips and let us know your favourite. If you have a cleaning tip that you would like to share with us, please contact us and make sure to include your name so we may give you full credit.

My favourite essential oil is lavender. Mmmmm mmmm What will use inside your loo role when trying our cleaning tip for a fresh loo?

Wooden chopping board in your kitchen? Want to make sure it it properly clean? Try our eco cleaning tip to clean and freshen

Grease on your clothes? Ugh! Try our handy cleaning tip that will have them banished in a jiffy

We hope you enjoyed the round up of last weeks top 5 cleaning tips and that some, if not all of them, will be useful to you at some point. Don’t forget if you have a top cleaning tip of your own, you can share it with us and we’ll share it with the world – just don’t forget to give us your name!

Okay, turmeric staining is a toughie, but fear not we have a few tricks that could help save your jumper!

For the benefit of those curry lovers out there, who may face turmeric staining in the future, and don’t fancy a bright yellow/orange stain on your clothing, follow this quick-clean guide.

Stop eating and take action!

Get the clothing/tablecloth to the sink and dab (DO NOT RUB) the stain with cold water and washing powder/liquid or cold water and washing up liquid will do the trick also

Leave for 30 mins in soak

Next dab the stain with distilled white vinegar (or neat lemon/lime juice as a substitute)

To finish, hang to dry, preferably in direct sunlight, to bleach the stain out naturally (Good luck with the sunshine in the UK! 😉 )

For a stain that has dried into the fabric or is an older, lingering stain, we have these 5 top tricks for you to try:

* Disclaimer: Please, please, please always test the cleaning solution on a inconspicuous part of the garment first! *

1. If the stain is now a light orange/pink colour we can try the next steps, however, if your stain is still very yellow/orange – please repeat (or start) the steps above. For a pink stain you can use an oxygenated bleach product designed for clothing in a normal wash cycle – the product works by releasing bubbles of oxygen to penetrate the fibers of the garment. You could also try a sodium hypochlorite bleach based product, if it is safe on the fabric of the garment. *ALWAYS READ THE LABEL FIRST*

2.Sunlight – If you can get a clear day, hang the garment outside. The sun will naturally bleach the stain.

3.Make a paste with baking powder and water (3:1) and massage the paste into the offending stain. Leave overnight and then wash as normal the next day

4. Soak the stain in soda water overnight – not tonic or anything containing sugar, as that will make it worse. Wash as normal the next day

5.For bleach sensitive garments you can use Glycerin. Soak the garment in a warm water/glycerin mix (8:1) for 30 minutes and then wash as normal OR make apply glycerin direct to the stain and massage into the area, rinse with cool water and then launder as normal.

I have a black and white tiled floor. The tiles are porcelain and no matter how I clean them, my floor always looks dull and not quite clean. What can I do to make my floors shine?

Answer:

Porcelain tiles are widely used in our homes and offices , they look nice and they are quite easy to take care of with a little know-how.

Quick Cleaning Guide to Porcelain

Vacuum or sweep tiled area prior to mopping – pay particular attention to the corners and sides of the room

Choose your cleaning solution based on the tile type – see below

DO NOT use ammonia or bleach based products on porcelain as it can discolour the tile and alter the grout colour

DO NOT use solutions that contain oil-based detergents, sealant or wax cleaners

Use rugs at all entrances where there are porcelain tiles to prevent walk through of girt and dirt that may damage and scratch your tile

Different Type of Porcelain Tile and how to clean them

Unpolished Tile – For flooring with a moderate dirt level

Vac/sweep – for best results use a clean, dry mop instead of a broom

Saturate floor with cleaning solution and clean first in horizontal and then vertical motions, for a thorough coverage

For stubborn stained areas, scrub the solution into the area with a nylon brush or scrub brush (avoid wire wool products)

Rinse the floor with clean, clear water using a new mop head from the dirty one or using a steam mop

Leave to dry in ventilated room or towel dry/buffer depending on size of the area

Polished/Glazed porcelain tiles

Vac/Sweep

Mop the floor with a mild cleaning solution – On a polished tile you need 50% less product than what you would on an unpolished floor – Mrs Mopp would recommend a cleaning agent that is non-soap based neutral PH cleaner or using a white vinegar mix (2 gallons hot water – 1/4 cup white vinegar)

Rince tiles with clear, clean water

Polish by hand, with a buffer , or with a clean, dry, flat-head microfibre mop to bring to a high shine. If you are cleaning a large floor area you may want to clean the floor in sections, as is the water is allowed to dry you will get water spots and streaking on your tile.

Textured Tile

A textured tile will require a little more cleaning time. Standard wet mopping will not clean the tile to its best, so it is important with a textured tile to clean a little more frequently

Vac/Sweep – for sweeping using a soft bristled broom, First sweep in the direction of the tile and then re-sweep in the opposite direction to ensure all dirt is picked up that may lodge in crevices or the groove of a tile.

Scrub/mop floor with a neutral cleaning solution, again cleaning in both directions. First cleaning one way and then the other to ensure even coverage.

Rinse the floor with clean, clear water and leave to air dry or towel dry/buffer depending on area size

For stubborn stains or high traffic areas it is recommend you clean the floor this thoroughly at least once a week and vac/wet mop daily

The most important thing to remember is to rinse any product – bought or natural – off the floor once washed. For quick cleaning use only hot water and a clean mop head after vacuuming or sweeping and allow to dry or buff if the room is not well ventilated

Granite is the grandfather of all natural stone, it is tough and durable whilst beautiful and classic. But how do we look after it to ensure it always retains its beauty and shine?

Granite is not the biggest fan of acidic cleaning materials so avoid lemon or vinegar based cleaners, as although it would take continued use to damage the granite it will start to make your floors or worktops dull and faded. So, what to use…

Daily Cleaning

Warm water and a microfiber cloth will do the job nicely on a regular basis – wipe with a damp microfiber and buff with a dry microfiber or soft cloth to bring the granite up sparkly. If there are marks on the granite worktop or floor, use a PH neutral washing liquid or cleaning solution with some warm water and as before, wipe with one cloth and buff up with another. Buffing up your granite sides after they are cleaned will keep the surface clean and sparkly by eliminating water spots and streaking.

With a granite floor, use a microfiber flat headed mop daily to remove debris like grit and small stones off shoes as this will lead to damage and scratch marks on your flooring.

Deeper Cleaning

On a weekly basis it would be recommended a deeper clean on your granite to keep it in its best possible condition. For off the shelf products I would recommend a PH Neutral cleaner such as Dr Beckmanns for floors and walls or a spray such as Method Granite and Marble Spray for worktops and sides, as these products are kind enough to your granite whilst lifting any markings or stains.

If you wish to take the home made product route mix 1 cup of baking powder to 3 cups of water and wash the sides or flooring down, then rinse with warm water and buff up for the perfect mirror like shine.

Protection

To make your granite look fabulous throughout its life span, make sure you look after it, as although it can withstand hots pans on the surface or you chopping an onion without a board, it doesn’t mean you should. Always use coasters and heat mats on your granite worktops and put something underneath you when using knives or hot cooking utensils. Put rugs in high traffic areas on granite flooring to cut back on the amount of debris being walked into the floor.

Most importantly with granite is to ensure it is properly sealed and the maintenance is kept up. Black and darker granite will need sealing less often than lighter granite but always check with the supplier and/or fitter of your granite to check when and if it should be re-sealed